Extra! Extra! Student artists mount Disney’s Newsies at the Grand Theatre

Grand Theatre High School Project puts the focus on the power of young voices

At this point, it’s tradition. Talented young artists fill the Grand Theatre’s rehearsal halls and production shops, working side by side with dazzling names from the world of professional theatre, spending their summer and after-school hours mounting the annual Grand Theatre High School Project.

This year, it’s the fast feet, singable set list, and inspiring true story of Disney’s Newsies. More than sixty students are joined by Director Ray Hogg, fresh from back-to-back smash hits in Toronto and five years leading Musical Stage Co., one of Canada’s most powerful forces in musical theatre. In step with Hogg are Choreographer Krista Leis (Broadway, Stratford Festival) and Music Director Matthew Atkins, known to many as a local secondary school teacher and Artistic Director of the London Gospel Collective.

Every September, Londoners mark their calendars, not just for a night out at the theatre, but also for a sneak peek of the next generation of Canadian theatre greats and household names that they’ll be proud to claim as hometown heroes in the coming years. The Grand Theatre High School Project is a first-of-its-kind theatrical incubator, nurturing the possibilities of young artists on the stage and behind the scenes and boasting alumni including Broadway, Mirvish, and Stratford favourites Mark Uhre, Aidan deSalaiz, Trevor Patt, Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane, Henry Firmston, Andrew Tribe, and Cameron Carver.

Sixty or so young people coming together, raising their voices, showing us the impact that they are capable of, and bringing the crowd to its feet. It’s the plot of Newsies, and it’s the reality of the High School Project as well. Time and again, young people remind us of their power for change and how important it is to make space for their voices and their vision for the future. We think of Greta Thunberg and the school strike for climate change movement, and Malala Yousafzai standing as a beacon for those fighting for girls’ rights to education. Newsies itself is based on the real story of the Newsboys’ Strike of 1899 – when New York’s papers raised the costs for their young workers, who then assembled by the thousands, declared a strike, and effectively brought news distribution to a halt. Within a matter of weeks, the Newsboys successfully negotiated new terms with the papers and returned to work with a story of their own to proudly share.

Newsies: The Musical brings the story of these young changemakers to the stage, with the already fan-favourite anthems including “Carrying the Banner”, and “Seize the Day”, as well as seven new songs written exclusively for the stage: “The Bottom Line”, “That’s Rich”, “Something to Believe In”, “Don’t Come a-Knocking", “Letter from The Refuge”, “Watch What Happens”, and “Brooklyn’s Here”. 

The stage adaptation also honours the hardworking newsgirls, and early female journalists and activists, who worked alongside turn-of-the-century newsboys. Bill Pullman’s New York Sun reporter Bryan Denton is replaced by determined arts reporter Katherine Plumber, making her way in the male-dominated world of journalism. Named for the real-life daughter of Joseph Pulitzer, Katherine is a fictional icon for today’s newswomen, who are still navigating gender in the industry. It is felt that Katherine is inspired by one of history’s early female journalists, Nelly Bly, whose voice rang out against pigeon-holing women into domestic roles, called for divorce reform, and exposed the poor factory conditions of working women and children – before going on to become a foreign correspondent and eventually, an undercover investigative reporter for Pulitzer's newspaper, the New York World.

“At first glance, Newsies is about a group of kids who go on strike after repeatedly being taken advantage of by rich and powerful people, but it’s really about young people discovering what it means to be the future,” shares Director Ray Hogg. “It’s about finding the bravery to speak truth to power, seek justice, and demand equality. It is about embracing fear and vulnerability and celebrating imagination and vision.”

The first of two Disney musicals coming up at the Grand Theatre, Newsies is beloved for its ambitious choreography and catchy songs – and it delivers. It also packs a timely call to action – to invest in our young people, to open our eyes to all that they can accomplish, and to truly listen to what young voices have to say.

The Grand Theatre High School Project production of Disney’s Newsies plays on the Spriet Stage from September 17 to 27. Single tickets range from $26 to $55 and are available at www.grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519-672-8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.

The Grand Theatre is grateful to offer Canada Life Pay-What-You-Can pricing, presented on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. 
 

Header Image:
Pictured: Keirah Buckley, Trent Robichaud, Paxton Nair. Costume Design by Lisa Wright. Photo by Mai Tilson.